1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns the cooling structure for a continuous variation transmission system of an all-terrain vehicle. It focuses mainly on the installation of an inlet and exhaust conduit each attached to the air inlet and air exhaust of the gearbox. Furthermore, an inlet box and an exhaust box are each attached to the conduits to prevent dust, dirt, and water from entering the gearbox. Additionally, the conduits are installed on the outer surface of the chassis for ease of assembly and maintenance, and also reduce the difficulty of installing other components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 1, in general, all-terrain vehicles 1 are mainly composed of a chassis 11, a steering mechanism 12, front wheels 13, a riding seat 14, rear wheels 15, an engine 16 and the continuous variation transmission system 2. A steering mechanism 12 is installed in front of the chassis 11, with a set of front wheels 13 beneath the steering mechanism 12. There is a riding seat 14 on top of the chassis 11, and below the riding seat 14 is the engine 16. The engine 16 drives the continuous variation transmission system 2 by means of the crankshaft, and a set of rear wheels 15 is attached to the continuous variation transmission system 2.
When the all-terrain vehicle 1 is activated, fresh air is introduced from outside and mixed with fuel to form a fuel/air mixture. The oil vapor is then delivered into the engine 16 to initiate power to advance the piston into high-speed reciprocating motion. An interactive crankshaft drives the pulley mechanism and initiates turning of the rear wheels 15, which will lead in the concurrent turning of the front wheels 13 and achieve the purpose of movement.
Referring to FIG. 2, the continuous variation transmission system 2 in the all-terrain vehicle 1 consists of a pulley mechanism 21 placed inside a gearbox 22. Said pulley mechanism 21 is composed of a sliding disc 211 placed above said crankshaft 161; a driving plate 212 placed above said crankshaft 161 and to one side of said sliding disc 211; a bracket 213 placed above said crankshaft 161; and to the other side of said sliding disc 211, a counter weight 214 placed amid said sliding disc 211 and said bracket 213 due to the limitation of space; a follower shaft 215 which transmits the power to the rear wheels; a follower disc 216 placed on top of said follower shaft 215; a clutch 217 fixed on top of said follower shaft 215; and a transmission belt 218. Wherein, said sliding disc 211 and said driving plate 212 constitutes an initiating member of the pulley mechanism 21. One end of said transmission belt 218 is placed in between said driving disc 212 and said sliding disc 211, and the other end is placed amid said follower disc 216. Said gearbox 22 has an air inlet 221 and an air exhaust 222 with an inlet conduit 223 attached to said air inlet 221 and an exhaust conduit 224 attached to said air exhaust 222.
Inside the combustion chamber of the vehicle engine 16, the power initiated from combustion explosion will advance the piston into a high-speed reciprocating motion, and consquently initiate the spinning of the crankshaft 161. Said sliding disc 211 and said driving disc 212 will spin concurrently and in consequence speed up the spinning of the follower disc 216. Via said clutch 217, said follower shaft 215 will be driven to speed up the spinning and increase the advancing speed of the vehicle. By this time, the high heat produced from spinning of pulley mechanism 21 has to be cooled down by introducing outside cool air from the air inlet conduit 223, and passing through the air inlet 221 to enter the gearbox 22. The hot air will then pass through the exhaust conduit 224 from the air exhaust 222 and exhaust to the outside, to prevent the pulley mechanism 21 from being damaged by overheating.
Referring to FIG. 3, the configuration of the prior art cooling structure for a continuous variation transmission system 2 of the all-terrain vehicle 1 has the inlet conduit 223 and the exhaust conduit 224 of the gearbox 22 placed above the chassis 11 of the all-terrain vehicle 1. Therefore, when an exterior appearance or accessory design change is to be made, it will be affected adversely by the installation of the inlet conduit 223 and the exhaust conduit 224. This installation will bring about limitations for any of the intended above-mentioned design changes on the vehicle and also add to the difficulty of any design alteration. Moreover, there is no extra space beneath the vehicle for other components, such as a compartment or auxiliary component (for example, a battery, a fuel tank or an air filter). If other components are to be installed, the inlet conduit 223 and the exhaust conduit 224 will have to be extended downwards. However, there is a limit to the total height of an all-terrain vehicle 1. Furthermore, when the all-terrain vehicle 1 is moving along the seaside or in the countryside, the inlet conduit 223 and the exhaust conduit 224 have to be installed at a suitable height to prevent dust, dirt, and water from entering the gearbox 22. Therefore, by extending the inlet conduit 223 and the exhaust conduit 224 downwards to install other components, the pulley mechanism will be damaged easily. Also, due to the fact that the inlet conduit 223 and exhaust conduit 224 of the gearbox 22 in the prior art all-terrain vehicle 1 are placed directly above the chassis 11 of the all-terrain vehicle 1, when the mechanical parts are to be maintained, the parts have to be taken apart one by one from the upper riding seat 14 or the body cover. This will cause great inconvenience in assembly and maintenance and also increase difficulty in installing other components.
Acknowledging the aforementioned, the prior art all-terrain vehicle has the cooling structure for a continuous variation transmission system placed beneath the chassis. This adds to the limitations and difficulty of changing the vehicle's design, causes great inconvenience in assembly and maintenance and also increases difficulty in installing other components. Consequently, it is essential to refine the design.